US Airways, Barclaycard and MasterCard announce a new suite of Dividend Miles Select benefits for the US Airways Premier World MasterCard.

US Airways World MasterCard with Dividend Miles Select® Designed for New Era of Consumers

PURCHASE, N.Y., July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- US Airways, Barclaycard and MasterCard today announced a new suite of Dividend Miles Select benefits for the US Airways Premier World MasterCard that enable award travel with fewer miles The results of a recent survey by MasterCard demonstrated the heightened importance of travel rewards value in the current economy. More than half of surveyed Americans (51 percent) agree that the current economy has made them more conscious of the value and benefits of rewards credit cards, such as an airline co-brand card. Visiting family and friends is also now the most appealing vacation for the majority of travelers (54 percent) - particularly for college graduates, parents and married adults.

"Our customers tell us the most important attribute they look for in a co-branded airline card is its ability to get them award travel faster," said Andrew Nocella, senior vice president, Marketing and Planning, US Airways. "We are working to set a new standard that gives our cardholders an experience that gets them where they want to go quicker and with more options than ever before."

The US Airways Premier World MasterCard with Dividend Select now features industry-leading benefits including:

25,000 bonus miles after getting the card and making a purchase

Up to 10,000 bonus miles for balance transfers for new cardholders

First Class check-in and Zone Two boarding

0% on balance transfers for the first six months for new cardholders

Up to two $99 companion tickets annually

No mileage cap

Annual day-pass to the US Airways Club

Award processing fee waiver

According to the survey, on average, Americans give their most used rewards credit cards a C+ grade in terms of the rewards offered and the process they must go through when redeeming the rewards they have accumulated. US Airways is aiming to raise this grade by allowing cardholders to redeem award travel for 5,000 fewer miles than standard redemption.

The survey results also indicated that 45 percent of Americans say that they would apply for a new airline rewards credit card if it allowed them to accrue miles more easily while a similar proportion (43 percent) would switch if they could get First Class check-in and Zone 2 even for economy travel.

US Airways, Barclays and MasterCard will sponsor a special consumer promotion July 27, 2009 through August 31, 2009 during which consumers can win over 3 million Dividend Miles and a $10,000 MasterCard gift card by testing their geography knowledge in an interactive online game. Players receive points for closely identifying the location of cities, landmarks and tourist sites on a world map. Participants can earn chances to win in daily, weekly and grand sweepstakes drawings. To play the game, go to www.usairwaysmilesaway.com.

The US Airways Premier World MasterCard with Dividend Miles Select is issued by Barclaycard US, the credit card business of Barclays PLC in the United States.

About the Survey

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted June 25 - 29, 2009. For the survey, a nationally representative sample of 1,000 randomly-selected adults aged 18 and over residing in the U.S. was interviewed by telephone via Ipsos' U.S. Telephone Express omnibus. The results are considered accurate within +/-3.1 percentage points.

About US Airways

US Airways was America's number one on-time airline in 2008 among the "Big Six" hub-and-spoke airlines according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. US Airways, along with US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express, operates more than 3,200 flights per day and serves more than 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. The airline employs more than 33,000 aviation professionals worldwide and is a member of the Star Alliance network, which offers our customers more than 17,000 daily flights to 916 destinations in 160 countries worldwide. And for the eleventh consecutive year, the airline received a Diamond Award for maintenance training excellence from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its Charlotte, North Carolina hub line maintenance facility. For more company information, visit usairways.com.

About Barclaycard US

Headquartered in Wilmington, Del., Barclaycard US creates customized, co-branded credit card programs for some of the country's most successful travel, entertainment, retail and financial institutions. The company employs 1,400 associates and was named a Top Employer in Delaware in 2008. For more information please visit www.barclaycardus.com.

Barclaycard, part of Barclays Global and Retail Commercial Banking division, is a leading global payment business which helps consumers, retailers and businesses to make and accept payments flexibly, and to access short-term credit when needed.

The company is one of the pioneers of new forms of payments and is at the forefront of developing viable contactless and mobile payment schemes for today and cutting edge forms of payment for the future. It also issues credit and charge cards to corporate customers and the UK Government. Barclaycard partners with a wide range of organizations across the globe to offer their customers or members payment options and credit.

In addition to the UK, Barclaycard operates in the United States, Europe, Africa and the Middle and Far East.

MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes approximately 21 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercard.com.